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It took me more than a week to go through the first chapter in the first Harry Potter book. It took me 4 days to finish the rest. This is because the pacing wa

by tomjen3 27d ago

It took me more than a week to go through the first chapter in the first Harry Potter book. It took me 4 days to finish the rest. This is because the pacing was wrong - the first chapter should have been the last.

chistev 27d ago
Really? I thought the first Harry Potter book was very engaging. The second book had more dry spots for me.
- tomjen3 25d ago
  Oh, for sure. It's phenomenally engaging. The main issue is that the first chapter is essentially a fly on the night sky, watching the events that happened on the day that Harry Potter's parents were murdered. Super cool, but absolutely meaningless the first time you read the book because you don't know it yet. I think chapters one—sorry, chapters two and three is mostly Harry getting his letter and the various hi-jinx that Uncle Vernon goes through to avoid the owls finding Harry at increasingly improbable addresses where somehow the owls still find Harry. Then Hagrid shows up and explains to Harry that you are a wizard. And for 13-year-old me, that was off to the races.
teekert 27d ago
Yeah same. I recently read the whole series to my son after he had begged me to stop after a couple of pages about 2 years ago. I told him: just keep your mind open for 100 pages. The start is so cold, and weird. You can only feel the warmth and beauty that is coming on your second read, and part 1 takes some time to pay-off. What I like about Harry Potter is that many things are not what they seem when later looking back. It's clever like that. On my own, 20 years ago, I couldn’t stop after starting. Sure the first chapters are a bit boring and different from the body of the books, but I have always given books about 100 pages to grab me, never consciously though about a Volta though, just almost always started to enjoy books after some time. The follow-ups in a series can be enticing because of part one, but sometimes, as I had with 3 body problem, they disappoint so much or are so different that I just stop.
- nephihaha 27d ago
  I've got the opposite problem with "Infinite Jest". I have had a hundred pages left for several years. I just need to sit down and soldier through those to say that I have read the bloody thing. It did not grip me.
  - teekert 27d ago
    I’ve had that as well haha. I have read many books for about 50%. I try not to feel guilty about it. Glass half full, right?
bananaflag 27d ago
I started as a kid with the second book, as it was the only one in the bookstore on that day
turing_complete 27d ago
isn't the first chapter like 10 pages?

by tomjen3 27d ago

chistev 27d ago

Really? I thought the first Harry Potter book was very engaging. The second book had more dry spots for me.

tomjen3 25d ago
Oh, for sure. It's phenomenally engaging. The main issue is that the first chapter is essentially a fly on the night sky, watching the events that happened on the day that Harry Potter's parents were murdered. Super cool, but absolutely meaningless the first time you read the book because you don't know it yet. I think chapters one—sorry, chapters two and three is mostly Harry getting his letter and the various hi-jinx that Uncle Vernon goes through to avoid the owls finding Harry at increasingly improbable addresses where somehow the owls still find Harry. Then Hagrid shows up and explains to Harry that you are a wizard. And for 13-year-old me, that was off to the races.

teekert 27d ago

Yeah same. I recently read the whole series to my son after he had begged me to stop after a couple of pages about 2 years ago. I told him: just keep your mind open for 100 pages. The start is so cold, and weird. You can only feel the warmth and beauty that is coming on your second read, and part 1 takes some time to pay-off. What I like about Harry Potter is that many things are not what they seem when later looking back. It's clever like that. On my own, 20 years ago, I couldn’t stop after starting. Sure the first chapters are a bit boring and different from the body of the books, but I have always given books about 100 pages to grab me, never consciously though about a Volta though, just almost always started to enjoy books after some time. The follow-ups in a series can be enticing because of part one, but sometimes, as I had with 3 body problem, they disappoint so much or are so different that I just stop.

nephihaha 27d ago
I've got the opposite problem with "Infinite Jest". I have had a hundred pages left for several years. I just need to sit down and soldier through those to say that I have read the bloody thing. It did not grip me.
- teekert 27d ago
  I’ve had that as well haha. I have read many books for about 50%. I try not to feel guilty about it. Glass half full, right?

bananaflag 27d ago

I started as a kid with the second book, as it was the only one in the bookstore on that day

turing_complete 27d ago

isn't the first chapter like 10 pages?